TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO Friday May 2, 1997

New staff welcomed to AA line

Local people employed by the Argyll and Antrim Steam Packet company gathered at the Ardshiel Hotel in Campbeltown this week for a staff induction.

Attended by 50 people from Campbeltown and the surrounding area, they received briefings on customer service and the high standards required for all staff.

‘It was a highly successful day which achieved a number of things,' said route manager John Burrows.

‘Our new staff had the opportunity to meet each other and develop those initial working relationships. They also learned of the high levels of service which the Argyll and Antrim Steam Packet Company will expect.

‘We are delighted that so many of our staff come from the local area,' he added. ‘It illustrates the continued commitment the company has towards bringing benefits to Campbeltown and the new route.'

The start of the new ferry route and the fact that so many people are being employed from the local area has been seen as a blessing for job prospects.

Campbeltown has suffered from a high number of unemployed during recent years due to a number of aspects, including the mothballing of RAF Machrihanish and a reduction in the distillery and shipbuilding industries.

Fifty new jobs being created in Campbeltown, even though they are initially to be seasonal, will bring a major boost to the area's employment figures and the economy in general.